In-house DevOps vs fractional SRE: a cost breakdown
At some point, every growing startup hits the same question: "Should we hire a full-time DevOps engineer, or bring in external help?"
At some point, most founders ask the same question:
“Do we hire a DevOps engineer, or get external help?”
The right answer depends less on ideology and more on timing, risk, and cost.
Here’s a simple, founder-friendly way to think about it.
The real cost of hiring in-house DevOps
A full-time DevOps hire looks affordable on paper.
But in reality, you’re paying for much more than salary.
What it actually costs
- Salary (USA): $120k–$190/year
- Hiring time: 2–4 months
- Ramp-up: another 2–3 months before real impact
And during this time:
- Infra decisions are still being made
- Mistakes often happen in production
- You’re dependent on one person’s knowledge
If they leave, you start over.
What a fractional SRE gives you instead
A fractional SRE is a senior reliability engineer who works with your team part-time but brings full-time experience.
Typically:
- $5k–$10k/month
- Immediate impact
- No long-term hiring commitment
More importantly, you get:
- Proven patterns from multiple systems
- Calm incident handling
- Fewer “let’s rewrite everything” decisions
This model reduces risk during growth.
Quick comparison
| Question | In-house DevOps | Fractional SRE |
|---|---|---|
| Time to value | Slow | Fast |
| Seniority | Varies | Always senior |
| Hiring risk | High | Low |
| Flexibility | Low | High |
| Cost predictability | Medium | High |
When each option makes sense
Hire in-house when:
- You have 20+ engineers
- Infrastructure is core to revenue
- You need daily hands-on ownership
Use fractional SRE when:
- You’re scaling but not ready to hire
- Infra issues are increasing
- You want senior guidance without long-term commitment
Many teams start fractional, then hire later — with far fewer regrets.
Final thought
This isn’t about saving money.
It’s about avoiding expensive mistakes while you grow.
If you’re unsure which path fits your stage, that uncertainty alone is worth exploring.
If you’d like a second opinion on your setup or growth plans, feel free to reach out at contact@optimaflare.tech.